Mazaios

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Coin of Mazaios from his time as Satrap of Cilicia. (London, British Museum)

Mazaios ( Greek  Μαζαῖος ; † 328 BC ) was the Persian governor ( satrap ) in the late period of the Achaemenid Empire .

Mazaios initially served the great king Artaxerxes III. as Satrap of Cilicia as successor to the office of Datame . Together with the satrap of Syria, Belesys II , he was 351/350 BC. Entrusted with the submission of the rebellious Phoenicians under the king Tabnit (Tennes) of Sidon . However, both suffered a defeat against the Greek mercenaries under Mentor from Rhodes , who were brought in to support Phoenician from Egypt. Therefore, the great king had to go personally against Sidon , which was only in 346/345 BC Chr. Could be subjected. While Belesys II fell out of favor due to failure, Mazaios remained in the favor of the great king. Although he had to surrender Cilicia to Arsames , he was given for at least the period from 345 to 340 BC. As the new satrap of Syria .

He did not return to this role until 331 BC. Called during the war against Alexander the great . Diodorus called him a philos (friend) of the great king Dareios III. , from whom he received instructions to block Alexander's passage across the Euphrates . However, Mazaios did not have enough troops to accomplish this, which is why he had to accept Alexander's transition at Thapsakos . He then took part as commander of the right Persian wing in the Battle of Gaugamela , which ended with the decisive defeat of the Persians. Mazaios withdrew to Babylon , whose gates he opened without a fight for the advancing Alexander. For this he took him into his retinue and appointed him satrap of Babylon . Mazaios exercised this office until his death in 328 BC. Chr. From.

Apart from the literary sources, Mazaios can also be archaeologically proven through coinage.

His successor in Babylonia was Stamenes .

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SURNAME Mazaios
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Μαζαῖος (ancient Greek)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Persian satrap of Cilicia and Babylon
DATE OF BIRTH 5th century BC BC or 4th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 328 BC Chr.